One growing worry about Trump or Cruz, top party officials, donors, and operatives across the country say, is that nominating either man would imperil lawmakers in down-ballot races, especially those residing in moderate states and districts.

"At some point, we have to deal with the fact that there are at least two candidates who could utterly destroy the Republican bench for a generation if they became the nominee," said Josh Holmes, a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "We'd be hard-pressed to elect a Republican dogcatcher north of the Mason-Dixon or west of the Mississippi."

I wish I shared their pessimism. I'm sure there is some number of people who will find Trump (or Cruz) too extreme for which to vote and will instead cast a vote for a Democrat or sit out the election altogether. But I'm also sure there is some number of people who don't typically vote because Republicans aren't extreme enough, who will show up at the polls if a nightmare reactionary is on the ballot.

So I'm not feeling gleeful at the prospect of Trump tanking GOP chances down-ballot. What I am feeling, again, is profound contempt for Republican elites who have the unmitigated temerity to act surprised about the quality of their base, after they've spent decades expressly cultivating a base that would respond with enthusiasm to a candidate that engages in overt racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, disablism, and/or Christian Supremacy.

The Republican elite can't possibly be angry that Trump is saying the things that he's saying, when he's merely the uncensored id of their reprehensible party.

What they're angry about is that Trump has traded in the dogwhistle for a bullhorn.

Less handwringing and more laying hay in the coop, because the chickens have come home to roost.

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One growing worry about Trump or Cruz, top party officials, donors, and operatives across the country say, is that nominating either man would imperil lawmakers in down-ballot races, especially those residing in moderate states and districts.

"At some point, we have to deal with the fact that there are at least two candidates who could utterly destroy the Republican bench for a generation if they became the nominee," said Josh Holmes, a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "We'd be hard-pressed to elect a Republican dogcatcher north of the Mason-Dixon or west of the Mississippi."

I wish I shared their pessimism. I'm sure there is some number of people who will find Trump (or Cruz) too extreme for which to vote and will instead cast a vote for a Democrat or sit out the election altogether. But I'm also sure there is some number of people who don't typically vote because Republicans aren't extreme enough, who will show up at the polls if a nightmare reactionary is on the ballot.

So I'm not feeling gleeful at the prospect of Trump tanking GOP chances down-ballot. What I am feeling, again, is profound contempt for Republican elites who have the unmitigated temerity to act surprised about the quality of their base, after they've spent decades expressly cultivating a base that would respond with enthusiasm to a candidate that engages in overt racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, disablism, and/or Christian Supremacy.

The Republican elite can't possibly be angry that Trump is saying the things that he's saying, when he's merely the uncensored id of their reprehensible party.

What they're angry about is that Trump has traded in the dogwhistle for a bullhorn.

Less handwringing and more laying hay in the coop, because the chickens have come home to roost.

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